Chapter 1341: Confirming the Cave Residence

Ancient Clan, Ancient Realm.

Unlike that agitated Soul Heavenly Emperor, Gu Yuan now appears very anxious.

As for the reason, naturally it is that not long ago his beloved daughter vanished without explanation.

Even when he personally intervened, he could not sense the spatial jade tablet he had given his daughter for protection.

This situation is as if someone had acted, using some method, to sever the mutual resonance between him and his spatial jade tablet.

Facing the uncertain fate of his daughter, could Gu Yuan not be anxious?

For this, he also dispatched many Ancient Clan elite to search the outside world.

But unfortunately, no matter how they searched, they found nothing.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Yet at that moment, heavy, lingering bell tolls suddenly rang across the entire Ancient Realm, echoing high in the sky and lingering without fading.

Hearing the bells, almost everyone in the Ancient Realm involuntarily halted their actions and looked toward the source, the center of the realm—the Ancient Sacred Mountain Range.

"Heaven-shocking Bell, what major event has arisen?"

"I don't know. Now our Ancient Clan is the top‑tier clan on the Dou Qi Continent; who would dare to cause trouble?"

"Do you think it might be the Soul Clan again?"

"Indeed, aside from those ambiguous beings, who else would dare oppose our Ancient Clan."

When the bell rang, immediately the Chief of the Ancient Clan within the Ancient Realm burst into a heated, multi‑voiced discussion.

After all, this Heaven-shocking Bell in the Ancient Realm is the highest‑level summons.

All members of the Ancient Clan, once they hear this bell, must instantly prepare the highest‑level combat readiness.

At the same time, all Dou Saint‑level Elders must immediately gather at the council hall atop the Ancient Sacred Mountain Range.

Such a bell is normally sounded only when something threatens to overturn the entire Ancient Clan!

But now, it has sounded.

Thus, the majority of the Ancient Clan want to know what exactly has happened.

It even prompted the high‑ranking members of their clan to strike this bell.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

When the Heaven-shocking Bell rang, the Dou Saint Elders across the Ancient Realm dropped their tasks or immediately ended their seclusions, rushing swiftly to the summit of the Ancient Sacred Mountain Range.

After all, the lower ranks of the Ancient Clan don't know what's happening, but they harbor vague suspicions.

Now that their clan has suddenly tolled the Heaven-shocking Bell, it must mean the Soul Clan has finished recuperating and is stirring again!

The Dou Saints moved extremely fast; in no time, the magnificent council hall at the summit of the Ancient Sacred Mountain Range gathered almost all Dou Saint‑level warriors of the Ancient Clan.

"Chief, the Soul Clan has recently become active; it seems the Soul Heavenly Emperor's injuries have healed. For now, perhaps we should shift our focus from Xun'er to the Soul Clan, keep an eye on the Soul Heavenly Emperor, and prevent him from obtaining the imperial‑grade embryonic pill inside Gu Di Dong Fu."

When the personnel gathered, Black Nie King Gu Lie was the first to step forward in the council hall, addressing Gu Yuan at the main seat.

Although he did not wish to touch the chief's bad luck at this moment.

After all, the other's only beloved daughter is missing, and there has been no news for so long; could he not be anxious?

But there is no choice; after all, he is the Number Two of the Ancient Clan.

Thus, the Three Immortals and their old fellows pushed him up to counsel the chief.

Of course, his words stem from the fact that during this period the chief has been frantically searching for his daughter.

Even monitoring the Soul Clan has been cast aside.

Consequently, this makes them nervous, fearing the chief might continue in the same way.

Hence, Gu Lie was the one pushed forward to counsel the chief.

When the latter spoke, Gu Yuan's already clouded face darkened once more.

Immediately, he cast a displeased gaze toward Gu Lie below.

Sigh

However, after a moment of silence, he finally let out a bitter sigh.

After searching so long without any news of Xun'er, he vaguely realized that his daughter was probably impossible to find.

Either she wandered into an ancient ruin and got trapped, or was captured by someone with ulterior motives.

Moreover, the perpetrator's strength is likely not weaker than his.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be unable to sense the location of the spatial jade tablet he gave his daughter.

Gu Yuan thought it over and concluded that, aside from the Soul Heavenly Emperor, there is no one else.

Thinking of this, Gu Yuan immediately shouted in anger: "Fine, you Soul Heavenly Emperor, you already captured Xiao Yan's family, and now you even target my daughter!"

He recalled the scene when the Soul Clan seized Xiao Yan's family and forced him to hand over the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade.

Gu Yuan believed his beloved daughter's disappearance was definitely the work of that Soul Heavenly Emperor!

The opponent's motive was obvious: to use his daughter to make him hesitate.

By this means, they hoped to increase their chances of obtaining the imperial‑grade embryonic pill inside Gu Di Dong Fu!

"Chief, we must still prioritize the greater cause; the lady's spiritual jade token remains intact, so her life can be assured. Moreover, on the Dou Qi Continent, the only ones daring to harm the lady are likely the Soul Clan. Thus, dealing with the Soul Clan is essentially rescuing the lady."

What Gu Yuan could think of, the other Ancient Clan Elders could also conceive; seeing his lack of response, a group of Elders below quickly rose in a chorus to advise.

"Alright, I understand. Now, tell us the specifics of the Soul Clan."

Hearing the chaotic voices of the Elders below, Gu Yuan immediately waved his hand impatiently.

Although he dearly wishes to find his daughter, as the clan leader he knows the priority now must be the race.

Moreover, if the Soul Heaven Emperor truly obtains that Emperor-rank Infant Pill and advances to Dou Emperor, given his understanding of that guy.

As for myself and the Gu Clan, we will surely be reduced to ashes, not even a speck left.

By then, not to mention finding his daughter, he and the entire Gu Clan will be gone!

And when those Gu Clan Elders saw that the clan chief had agreed, they immediately stopped discussing Gu Xun'er.

Soon after, one of the elders from the Gu Clan's Three Immortals stepped forward and said, 'Clan Chief, the Soul Clan has recently begun to fully retract; almost all of their Dou Saint powerhouses have been summoned back one after another. All these signs prove that the Soul Heaven Emperor is already preparing for the upcoming war.'

We estimate that the injuries of the Soul Heaven Emperor and Wu Nie Tun Yan have likely fully recovered. Moreover, they know the location of the Tuo She Gu Di Dongfu, so they are beginning to prepare for the upcoming war. As for timing, it could be within the last two days!

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan's brows furrowed suddenly.

After a moment of thought, he then said, 'I have already recovered over two months ago, and based on the severity of the Soul Heaven Emperor's injuries, I estimate he should have mostly recovered as well.'

As the one who caused the injuries of the Soul Heaven Emperor and Wu Nie Tun Yan, Gu Yuan naturally can roughly estimate the time needed for their injuries to heal.

Although their injuries are far worse than his, after all they have the entire Soul Clan as support.

It seems those two fellows will soon become active again.

In that case, you must immediately open spatial passages. The western, northern, and southern continents each need at least three spatial passages to allow us to reach there quickly. The Soul Heaven Emperor has obtained eight Tuo She Gu Di Emperor jades, knows the location of the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu, and holds the initiative. To avoid delays on the road letting the Soul Heaven Emperor snatch the Emperor-rank Infant Pill first, we can only repair roads everywhere, hoping to catch up with the Soul Clan as much as possible.

Next, Gu Yuan temporarily set aside the matter of his daughter, then his solemn gaze swept over the Gu Clan elders below, and he said in an indisputable tone: 'As for me, during this time I will personally take action, monitoring every move of the outside world. If the Soul Heaven Emperor or Wu Nie Tun Yan leaves the Soul Realm, they will surely not escape my surveillance!'

After all, with spatial passages, under his assistance these elders can be sent to the various continents within the time it takes to finish a cup of tea.

Moreover, he also personally monitors the movements in the Soul Realm.

As soon as the Soul Heaven Emperor leaves the Soul Realm and heads to the location of the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu, he can learn the news immediately.

Thus, the Soul Clan would hardly be able to take the Emperor-rank Infant Pill away before they arrive.

Yes!

Hearing this, the Gu Clan elders below immediately responded in unison.

After all, as the previous speaker said, they lack the Soul Clan's initiative advantage.

If they cannot quickly catch up with those Soul Clan fellows when the Soul Heaven Emperor goes to the Place: Gu Di Dong Fu.

If the Soul Heaven Emperor manages to snatch the Emperor-rank Infant Pill first, then it would be dangerous!

After discussing the matter, the Gu Clan elders left the hall one after another.

Leaving the hall, some Gu Clan elders began to rest and recuperate in preparation for the upcoming war, while others were dispatched outside to construct spatial passages to increase the speed of troop deployment for the Gu Clan.

Of course, when the Gu Clan began to act, they also simultaneously notified their allies, the Yan Clan.

After all, the Soul Clan is now powerful, and their plan to stop the Soul Heaven Emperor from becoming emperor would certainly require the Yan Clan's help.

Meanwhile, as the Gu Clan frantically prepared for war, on a mountain path outside the Heijiaoyu region, dozens of figures in black robes silently pressed forward.

After a moment, their figures finally came to a halt in mid-air outside the mountain gate of a certain force at the end of the mountain path.

'Go ask how to get to the Canaan Academy; within the clan we use soul communication for speed rather than human messengers, so we have no address and can only ask locals for directions.'

Stabilizing his stance, the leading Hei Yi Ren turned his head and, with his hoarse voice, commanded his subordinate.

However, before the speaker could finish his words, several streams of light suddenly fled from within the mountain gate, instantly transforming into several figures with Dou Qi wings behind them.

At the same time, one of them, with a fierce expression, loudly demanded: 'Who goes there? This is the mountain gate of my Mo Dao Sect; idle people, scram!'

However, just as he spoke halfway, upon seeing the more than ten black-robed figures hovering in the air ahead, he was like a duck having its throat choked, his voice cutting off abruptly. As Dou Kings, they naturally understood that these people could hover in the air without needing Dou Qi wings behind them—what could this mean?

'Dou... Dou Sect?!'

Immediately, the few from the Mo Dao Sect involuntarily blurted out the two words that made their hearts tremble.

'Dou Sect?'

Hearing that trembling voice, the group of Hei Yi Ren suddenly felt somewhat amused.

When did they, in others' eyes, come to possess only the strength of the Soul Hall's guardians?

However, these Hei Yi Ren did not dwell on the issue for long.

After all, they came bearing an extremely important mission; other matters thus seemed less significant.

Thinking of this, at the forefront of the black-robed group, an aged voice sounded indifferently: 'Kid, going straight from here leads to the Canaan Academy, right?'

'Hehe, senior, the Canaan Academy is right at the center of Heijiaoyu; I have a map here—follow the route and you'll get there.'

Upon hearing that, among the Mo Dao Sect members, a man who appeared to be the leader immediately took out a map and fawningly handed it over.

Although he didn't know why they were looking for the Canaan Academy, given that these people were all former Dou Sect members...

He also couldn't be bothered to care whether their visit to the Canaan Academy was good or bad, so he quickly handed over the map, hoping they'd leave his sect's mountain gate soon.

After all, facing so many Dou Sect members before him, the pressure was truly immense.

'Oh, with a map, that seems convenient.'

Hearing that, the leader couldn't help but smile, then lightly gestured with his palm, sucking the map into his hand.

Next, he opened the map that had been handed over, his perception swiftly scanning its contents.

After confirming the map was genuine, he slowly lifted his head, revealing an indifferent face beneath his black robe.

Then, his hand, resembling a withered bone, extended from his sleeve, and he said in a flat tone: 'Split our forces into two groups—one to cleanse everyone in Heijiaoyu, the other to follow me to the Canaan Academy.'

Yes!

Upon hearing him speak, the dozen or so figures behind him immediately responded in a low voice.

At the same moment the old man's killing intent-laden words left his mouth, the several Dou King cultivators of the Mo Dao Sect opposite immediately went on alert.

'Whoo—whoo!'

Immediately, one of them swiftly produced a miniature white-bone-shaped whistle and blew it hard, sending it flying to his lips.

'Enemy attack!'

The sudden, piercing whistle echoed across the mountain peak, and then hundreds, even thousands of figures surged out like a tide from the mountain gate, finally gathering in the open space outside.

However, when they saw in the sky those dozen figures lacking Dou Qi wings yet able to stand in midair as if on solid ground, they were instantly stunned in place.

'Which fearless dog dares to come cause havoc at my Mo Dao Sect!'

And with the siren wailing endlessly above the sky, a cold shout rang out, and immediately it suddenly exploded from within the mountain gate.

Immediately, a middle-aged man with his upper body bare, fighting qi wings behind him, and wearing a necklace of many miniature human skulls on his neck, shot out from within the mountain gate and arrived before those few Fighting Kings.

However, just as he steadied his stance, a black silhouette suddenly enlarged in his pupils.

Bang!

In the next instant, that Fighting Emperor expert, who had some reputation around the eastern region of Heijiaoyu, exploded into a mass of blood mist before the many dazed disciples below.

"Kill them all; within fifteen minutes, only we will exist in Heijiaoyu."

After slapping to death that Fighting Emperor of the Magic Blade Sect, Hei Yi Ren immediately flew forward and spoke in an indifferent tone.

After all, Elder Hun You had just spoken, so they definitely needed to hurry and carry out the mission.

Otherwise, if the other side gets angry, these little Fighting Saints won't be able to endure.

Yes, sir!

Upon hearing his words, several black shadows in the rear immediately let out a light cry and flew over.

In the next moment, the towering fighting qi that overwhelmed the people of Heijiaoyu erupted instantly from within those few black-robed persons.

Immediately, black chains filled with a chilling aura tore through the sky, and slaughter silently unfolded around Heijiaoyu at this moment.

Of course, before those black-robed persons even arrived, Lin Feng's Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had already retreated completely under Cai Lin's command.

As for the Jia Nan Academy, since both sides were old acquaintances, Cai Lin likewise sent someone to inform them.

However, the people of the Jia Nan Academy had huge disagreements over the relocation.

Thus the relocation work has been intermittent, and currently there is hardly any progress.

Although the people Cai Lin sent told them that a Fighting Saint or even stronger expert could arrive at Heijiaoyu at any time to seek opportunity.

But, as the Jia Nan Academy established hundreds of years ago, they have also remained in the center of Heijiaoyu for just as long.

Yet they have never heard of anything here worth a Fighting Saint or even a Fighting Emperor expert coveting.

If one must say, it would be the Falling Heart Flame that previously existed at the bottom of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower.

But the problem is, the Falling Heart Flame is no longer there now.

Moreover, although their dean has been out of contact recently, Elder Qian Bai Er successfully broke through to the Dou Zun Realm not long ago.

And even if we exclude their out-of-contact dean, just looking at Elder Qian Bai Er alone...

They, possessing two Fighting Saint experts, are practically one of the top giants in the entire Northwest Continent.

Many elders of the academy feel that even if some powerful expert were to show up, the Jia Nan Academy, with Elder Qian Bai Er holding the fort, would still not dare to act against them.

Of course, many elders also feel that the wife of the founder of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was also a Fighting Saint when she left a few years ago.

Now that they have withdrawn, it shows that the strong enemy spoken of by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is genuine, and the Jia Nan Academy would surely be safer if they relocated together.

However, the Jia Nan Academy has been in Heijiaoyu for hundreds of years, familiar with the situation, many have grown accustomed to it, and naturally do not want to leave.

Thus their relocation work is also extremely slow in progress.

One could even say that there is hardly any progress.

However, this problem was soon resolved.

Because today, thick dark clouds suddenly covered the entire Jia Nan Academy without any warning.

At the same time, several figures, accompanied by those unsettling dark clouds, also arrived here.

"Kill everyone; I'll go down to have a look."

Upon arriving here, without waiting for the Jia Nan Academy people to question, the leading figure among those black-robed persons spoke in a hoarse voice devoid of any emotion.

Boom—!

As soon as his words fell, the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower in the Jia Nan Academy, whose temperature was noticeably higher than other areas, instantly exploded into countless fragments.

At the same time, the figure of the leading black-robed person vanished into the horizon.

Moreover, the appearance of those Hei Yi Ren earlier, plus the huge roar from the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower explosion, obviously drew the attention of many Jia Nan Academy elders.

Whoosh!

Immediately, figures with fighting qi wings behind them swooped toward the remaining black-robed persons in the sky.

Pathetic ants!

However, what the Jia Nan Academy elders did not expect was that they hadn't even reached the same altitude as the opponents in the sky to question them.

Just see, a black-robed person casually waved his hand, and the dozen or so Fighting King elders who had swooped in were instantly crushed to death by spatial force.

After all, the gap between Fighting King and Fighting Saint is immense, even boundless.

Thus those Fighting King elders of the Jia Nan Academy could naturally inflict no damage whatsoever on those Fighting Saint–level black-robed persons.

And as the first black-robed person made a move, the remaining few immediately mobilized their fighting qi and launched a frenzied slaughter against the Jia Nan Academy people.

However, while those black-robed persons were carrying out a massive slaughter, two powerful auras suddenly erupted from the direction of the Jia Nan Academy's outer courtyard.

Immediately, two beams of light flashed swiftly across the horizon, and finally transformed into two elderly figures appearing.

However, at this moment, the expressions of both of them were grim as they watched those wanton slaughtering black-robed persons of the Jia Nan Academy teachers and students.

After all, after their dean established the Jia Nan Academy, he entrusted the academy's safety to them.

And for hundreds of years, such a large-scale slaughter of teachers and students has never occurred here.

But this situation has now occurred, and facing such a dire circumstance, how will they answer to the dean when he returns?

"Elder Bai, Elder Qian, save us!"

At the same time, when some elders of the academy in the distance saw these two appear, they immediately issued piercing cries for help.

After all, before those black-robed persons, these Fighting King or Fighting Emperor elders of theirs had absolutely no power to fight back.

Thus, they could only turn to the strongest person currently in the academy, Elder Qian Bai Er, for help.

At the same time, the former's cry for help naturally also succeeded in drawing the attention of some Hei Yi Ren.

And when they saw that Elder Qian Bai Er and the other were only one-star Fighting Saints, the corners of their mouths instantly curled with a disdainful smile.

After all, the people here, even the weakest among them, have stepped into the Rotating Mirror Battle Sovereign.

Killing a one-star Battle Sovereign is no different from playing.

Thinking of this, one of the Hei Yi Ren immediately gave a sinister laugh and flew toward Qian Bai Er Lao.

Furthermore, as he flew, a vast aura swiftly pressed toward the still-unreacting Qian Bai Er Lao.

「Bang! Bang! 」

However, before the Soul Clan Battle Sovereign could act, the bodies of the two behind suddenly exploded, turning into two clouds of blood mist.

At the same time, the black-robed person who had forcibly broken open the Heaven Burning Flame Refining Qi Tower and entered the subterranean world below had, at some point, reappeared in this sky.

And upon appearing, he immediately, excited to the point of trembling, took out a Space Jade Slip and crushed it.

Because he had found the cave dwelling left behind by the legendary expert who had disappeared for ten thousand years.

(End of chapter)